Tobin Heath Finds Her Purpose

US Women's Soccer star Tobin Heath opens up about the Olympics, her success on the field, and finding purpose through her beliefs.

She may not have the historical name recognition of Mia Hamm or the star du jour status of Abby Wambach, but ask anyone in the know and they’ll tell you that Tobin Heath is a significant contributor to the U.S. women’s soccer team’s recent success.

During her four years at the University of North Carolina that produced three national championships, she simultaneously made a splash with the U.S., women’s U-17 and U-20 teams before debuting on the senior national team a few months shy of her 20th birthday. Later that year, Heath won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a key player in the team’s World Cup run this past summer that ended in a shocking loss to Japan in the finals.

In this Inspiring Athletes interview, Heath talks about how her faith has led her along the way, how she deals with the incredible highs and the devastating lows of elite competition, what she hopes to accomplish as a role model, and what it’s like to win an Olympic gold medal:

Can you share a little bit about your Christian faith journey?

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Christian home and an awesome family. Our family was just really passionate about Jesus. I had a great experience growing up. Like many kids, I wanted to do my own thing so it wasn’t until around the end of high school and start of college that I started to develop my own faith. I stopped piggy backing off of my family’s (faith) and wanted to figure out what it was all about. I got super interested in things and obviously from there it’s just grown. Like anyone who has a relationship (with Jesus) knows, the coolest thing about it is that it’s infinite how much you can learn and begin to understand. It’s something that grabbed me.

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Do you feel like your reason for being successful as an athlete is bigger than soccer?

Absolutely. My platform might be a little bigger than someone else’s, but everyone has a purpose. For me, that purpose in my life right now is soccer. There’s a cool, personal testimony that goes along with it. You spend so much time with your teammates in environments where they see how you live. It’s one of the coolest ways to just love people. Obviously in the world of sports, you go through different ups and downs than in normal life. You might be on top of the world playing or you’re sidelined with an injury. Your teammates see you through the good and the bad. They see where your foundation lies in those moments. You can also be there for them to share the love of Christ to them through those times when they’re in need and desperate for some truth in their lives.